The Beginning Of Everything

Paperback | August 9, 2013

Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before--before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

Ezra Faulkner was supposed to be homecoming king, but that was before--before his girlfriend cheated on him, before a car accident shattered his leg, and before he fell in love with new girl Cassidy Thorpe.

Robyn Schneider is a writer, actor, and online personality who misspent her youth in a town coincidentally similar to Eastwood. Robyn is a graduate of Columbia University, where she studied creative writing, and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, where she studied medical ethics. She lives in Los Angeles, California, bu...

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Reviews

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Ryan from
Worth the readThis book will likely appeal to fans of John Green. In fact, there were parts of this story that almost screamed Looking for Alaska or Paper Towns. And while it was good, I cant really figure out what it was trying to say: the actual point of the story was and is lost on me. While I understand that not every book needs to have any kind of underlying Message About Life, I still finished this novel feeling very underwhelmed.

Date published: 2015-07-05

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Paige H from
Expected something much biggerThe book was very well written, I mostly enjoyed following the different well-developed, likeable characters. The only thing that kept me turning the page was the anticipation of a bigger-better story line. After finishing, I realize the story was kind of dull, and the ending was a huge let down

Date published: 2015-03-30

Rated 3 out of
5 by
islandgeekgirl from
Fooled by the hypeEzra Faulkner had it all. The popularity, the girlfriend, athletic star and probable homecoming king. Until the night of the accident that shattered his knee, causing him to lose everything. Now Ezra finds himself at the outcast table and drawn to new girl Cassidy Thorpe. She’s nothing like anyone he’s ever met but the more time they spend together, the more Ezra wonders how much he really knows her. As someone who believes everyone has a tragedy waiting for them, and who believes he has already experienced his own, Ezra is faced with the question of what it means when more misfortunes happens.
This book had gotten a lot of praise and love before I finally picked it up. I was hoping it would live up to all the hype I’d seen. Sadly, it was just an okay read for me. It felt it was trying a little too hard with some twists to be thought-provoking and shocking but they ended up being neither. I did appreciate the pop culture references through the book, those were fun, and as a whole, I enjoyed the group of misfits Ezra joins.
Ezra was a character I really wanted to like but most of the time, I found myself being annoyed with him. I didn’t find he really went through any real growth as a person, more that he stayed the same while things around him changed and because he went from popular to outcast, from cheerleader girlfriend to manic pixie girlfriend, it looked like he’d changed. I just never found him to be a particularly good person or one that I wanted to be invested in. That was in sharp contrast to Toby, who I did like. He was a good person who deserved to be treated better than how Ezra treated him. A lesser person wouldn’t have given Ezra so many chances but Toby, for some reason, wanted to keep being friends with him.
I think part of the reason I had trouble connecting with the characters was that they and the relationships between them lacked depth. They all fit into little boxes and never really did anything to break out of them. It made their actions and their interactions predictable, all the way down to Cassidy’s big mysterious secret past.
I did like the writing style. It was easy to read, humorous, and I thought it flowed well. The pop culture references were so much fun every time they appeared. The whole plot, I did find predictable, even down to the end.
I think I would have liked this book a lot more if there had been more surprises and more depth to the characters. And possibly if I had read it before all the hype started surrounding it so I didn’t go in with such high expectations. It was a decent book, just not as great as I expected with all the hype.

Date published: 2015-01-30

Rated 4 out of
5 by
heidi from
It was greatI think the story line was great. The characters were amazing & easy to fall in love with. I loved the idea behind it. "Everyone has one major tragedy in their life". The last few chapters were amazing, honestly, I can't say otherwise. I even cried a little bit at the end. The ending was very unexpected, which I liked.

Date published: 2014-11-23

Rated 4 out of
5 by
heidi from
It was greatI think the story line was great. The characters were amazing & easy to fall in love with. I loved the idea behind it. "Everyone has one major tragedy in their life". The last few chapters were amazing, honestly, I can't say otherwise. I even cried a little bit at the end. The ending was very unexpected, which I liked.

Date published: 2014-11-23

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Emily from
Teen ReadI bought this book only a day ago and put quite a big dent in it already. I'm an avid reader, when I find a book I like I generally finish it within a day (I'm trying to stretch this one out)
It's so far everything I expected from reading the back, the characters fit together nicely as a group but stand out as individuals. I love her writing style and the wit she incorporated into the characters.
The book is overall a predictable teen read, but quite a good one!

Date published: 2014-11-18

Rated 3 out of
5 by
readaholic5 from
A decent summer readThis book wasn't anything special, but it definitely wasn't terrible either. The characters were loveable enough. The plot was somewhat predictable. Although the ending was very unexpected, which I enjoyed. To be honest I would rate it a 3.5 but I can't do that so... that's to bad.

Date published: 2014-07-01

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Chezley from
Everyone has their own personal tragedy!I stumbled across this book due to a recommendation from Ingrid Nilsen, otherwise known as missglamorazzii on YouTube.
The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider is a story about tragedy, and about how everyone has one major tragedy in their life that helps define their story. This novel tells the story of Ezra Fraulkener and his tragedy, but not before it explains the tragedy of his best childhood friend, Toby, and how Toby's tragedy changed Toby's life drastically. Ezra was the golden boy, the most popular guy in school, but due to one quick event everything has changed. He must now reevaluate his life and his actions -- he meets Cassidy Thorpe (the new girl) and she aids in the evaluation in so many ways. This story draws the reader in and allows them to experiences the changes in Ezra's life as he experiences them, there is a natural flow to the novel that draws the reader in yet it is full of shock value.
Ezra's voice could honestly be the voice of any 17 year old teenage boy, Schneider did an amazing job at providing the voice of a male teenage in her book. While reading it I did not feel the need to question whether or not the voice represented the character, it was set in a realistic and honest way. However, the voice provided to Cassidy did not feel as real, her character was so estranged and off that it did not feel as though it could be the average teenage girl, though there has got to be people like her character in this world. There are so many ups and downs throughout this novel, and the first chapter or so is not for the faint at heart, it deals with an unfortunate event that helped to shape Toby's life forever.

Date published: 2014-06-13

Rated 5 out of
5 by
bookgal14 from
Bittersweet and Gorgeous! Best Contemporary Read in a While.Is it just me, or does this book have to deal with philosophy? Because after reading the captivating and sad first chapter, I found the Ezra was a philosopher/protagonist that made me feel so many feelings deep inside and made me think a lot about life and what's the meaning of it.
The Goodreads summary really isn't that thorough and doesn't really give us a total perfect visualization of what the book is going to be about. That summary makes it look like this book is going to be just a cheesy contemporary novel that teenage girls will fangirl over because the male character is so heart-throbbing and he ends up marrying and falling in love with the girl character. That's a big fat NO. NO NO NO. This doesn't happen at all, and don't even expect it to at all. For a contemporary novel, this had so many plot twists that I began to believe that I was in a different type of world, and book, for that matter.
Basically this book is about Ezra. He's your average popular jock guy who has everything, including a "hot" cheerleader girlfriend. When he gets into a tragic accident, everything sort of falls apart. He catches his girl cheating on him, and is left broken-hearted until he meets Cassidy Thrope. He doesn't know it, but she's about to change his whole life around. Ezra ends up becoming homecoming king, joining the debate team, sneaking into a college when he's not even eligible to be in one yet, reunites with his old best friend who's gay, Toby, and falls in love with Cassidy.
The Beginning of Everything was one of the best contemporary books I've read in a long time. I just don't find so many amazing ones lately, and I don't know if it's just my choice of books to read, or the books themselves.
So when this released back in 2013, I was kind of stumped because I didn't enjoy Robyn Schneider's debut novel. It was boring and I put it down after 100 pages or so. Now I see a new and bright book being released, and I don't know what to expect. After a few weeks, everyone began raving about it, and I realized that I just have to pick it up, how can I not?
It was so beautiful that I can't even explain it, but I will anyways. The storyline was amazing. Once I began it, I couldn't put it down! The details were incredible, and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I felt like this whole book was about living your life to the fullest with no regrets.
Ezra was such an amazing character. His story was so deep, and real. His situation was so real and he acted like a normal teenage guy. The author didn't try to make him all that and anything special, but in my eyes, he was special for not being special, if that makes sense.
I really hated Cassidy. Ezra was too good for her and he didn't deserve her! I obviously knew that she was hiding something, and there we go.
Overall, this book was amazing. Philosophic, check, beautiful, check, and awesome characters, check. The Beginning of Everything truly is the beginning of everything for readers.

Date published: 2014-04-18

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Giselle_from_Book_Nerd_Ca from
Great story!The very thing that will be cemented into my head whenever I see this book on the shelves is the very beginning. That’s obviously where the title shows its importance. I can’t help but wonder if what happened is possibly true. I don’t even want to think about it. I actually enjoy the UK version of the cover and the title is also better, but I’m guessing for North American audiences, “Severed Heads” is too brutal. That’s the thing though, it would make me pick up that book because of it. If it wasn’t for the blogging community and all its wonder, I wouldn’t even have glanced at this contemporary.
I had such high expectations for this one and for once they were equally met. I couldn’t really understand Ezra’s wit and humour, but I guess because I’m not male. I enjoyed reading his story, and the fact that mere accident is what caused it, and his life changes makes everything so much clearer. As for Cassidy, I wasn’t liking her as much as everyone else did. I felt she could have been a little less selfish and just learn to let go of the past. I felt she could have been a lot kinder too. I did enjoy reading about her Harry Potter uniform though. The important twist was too predictable, but I still didn’t want it to happen. This book is such a romantic tragedy that if you are a huge star-crossed lover kind of gal, then you’ll fall for this book. Oh and that ending..WHY?
Overall, impeccable, thought-provoking writing and story telling, The Beginning of Everything is a must-read!

Date published: 2014-04-11

Rated 2 out of
5 by
Nicole_Herdman from
I honestly don't know what to say.So for once i am going to keep this review really short because i don't want to impact your view of this book or make you not want to read it, because you should. It is worth a read. Its just super annoying. I skimmed the last fifty pages or so because Ezra just got on my nerves so much. His personality is everything i, personally, hate in a guy, so that lost a lot of points for me right there. The writing is solid and there are some sweet and moving parts but i couldn't quite wrap my head around them because it reminds me of John Green... And not in a good way. I am a total Green fan, i love him to death, but this just seemed like a cheap knockoff. Now, if you havent read Green read his books! But if you havent you'll probably like this book more i think. Its just that the overall plot and Cassidy and the scenes and especially the way the book ends, meaning the literal last sentence, is aggravating to me and just feels fake. But this book is strong and has some inspirational moments and some funny moments, too, but the lead character is just really not for me. Sorry. I wish i loved it, i really do, because it has some great elements and is a good teen novel - but In a way i think it seems like a 'teen novel' in the sense that they don't think about their lives after the book ends and all that. Not good things. The Beginning Of Everything is good, worth a read, but nothing special, in my opinion

Date published: 2014-03-14

Rated 4 out of
5 by
Aliah from
Entertaining indeed.Buzzfeed recommended it and gave it quite a good rating. Started reading and fell in love almost instantly. I'm almost done and I pretty much don't want it to end. Highly recommended if you want a read that is light and also entertaining. :)

Date published: 2013-12-29

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Maggie from
The Fortunate Findings of this BookThis book is so unbelievably relatable, even for girls like me. I fell in love with Ezra in the 24 hours it took for me to inhale this book. I love it and recommend it to anyone. It's my new favourite book and love the reality band truth in the story and how it's not just some cliché.

Date published: 2013-12-27

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Kenzie from
Really Great BookSuch an incredible book! I would recommend it to everybody. A must read!

Date published: 2013-12-21

Rated 3 out of
5 by
Alyssa from
The Beginning of Everything follows Ezra Faulkner, a 17 year old golden boy in his high school who believes everyone has one tragedy in life that will define them. Ezra's tragedy happens one night when he is leaving a party and gets hit by a car, effectively ruining his leg and ending his budding career in tennis.
First off, the original title of this book was Severed Heads, Broken Hearts and to say that that wasn't the absolute most perfect title for this book is an understatement. For some reason, it was changed to The Beginning of Everything. And while I like that title, and it does fit the story, it doesn't capture the feel of the book quite as well.
Ezra Faulkner was the kind of male character I loved reading about. He went through an absolute trauma that effectively changed his life forever, and he reacted like a normal teenager would. He wasn't automatically optimistic about it, and he struggled to find his niche in high school. In walks Cassidy Thorpe, the new girl in town who is completely shrouded in mystery. In a time when Ezra was deciding who he felt he could be, by falling in with his old group of friends and joining the debate team, Cassidy was the type of girl that Ezra had never really encountered in a school full of girls who just wanted to fit in. Cassidy stood out, was incredibly intelligent, but she had her secrets as well.
While I wasn't the biggest fan of Cassidy, I loved what she presented for Ezra in his healing. While The Beginning of Everything doesn't necessarily have the happy ending most people would want, I found the ending completely perfect. And this is where the new title comes into play so flawlessly. Because Ezra has gone through a year of ups and downs, he is starting to live in a whole new way, and it really is The Beginning of Everything for him.
The Beginning of Everything was the perfect story of self discovery and Robyn Schneider's writing style was so effortlessly hilarious that it was a breeze to read through. I loved every second of this book and Ezra was the exact kind of guy who I would love to be friends with.

Date published: 2013-11-20

Rated 5 out of
5 by
Amanda_Pedulla from
Phenomenal!Now this book is a Must Read!! The Beginning of Everything was one crazy and addicting read because of the amazing plot and the craziness of high school. It makes you think how one day you are popular then next you are at the bottom of the high school ladder. Golden boy Ezra Faulkner was the star of the Tennis team, had the beautiful girlfriend, then an accident happens and his knee is injured. He goes through a depression of sorts. Ezra was an upcoming tennis star and one night in an accident his knee is injured and he distances himself from his friends and his popular status. When his friends turn him away, his girlfriends starts dating his friend. With the accident behind him, Ezra will have to find another thing to do because he cannot play sports now. He also admits to being intelligent and to rediscover his relationship with Toby after so long. When they were best friends until the age of fourteen but after the horrible accident on the rollercoaster at Disney, the tourist's head then landed in Toby's lap! (hence the original title- Severed Heads, Broken Hearts) I really did love Toby through out the book, he was a great supporting character who made the characters have fun with his personality. But after that day Ezra was never close to Toby, he Cassidy is definitely a character who in a way resembles Ezra. She is smart and carefree while he is more reserved. There relationship was a unique one. There is not any insta-love but with this, we can see the characters fall in love. They were friends at first (with a lot of bantering and not so friendly encounters). Cassidy is a mystery, she is brilliant and she opens Ezra to a new side of himself that he never knew. The romance is slow yet it works. Ezra takes an interest in Cassidy immediately, and they have chemistry, but she always holds back and never opens herself to Ezra. She does like his buns and is very snarky in return. There is the realization of how she actually is the perfect girl for him because they are more alike than it seems. She opens him up to the debate team and many other things. The Beginning of Everything was told beautifully and it is definitely is one of my favorites of this year. The entire story was phenomenal and it hooked me from the beginning. The writing was humorous and full of drama. This book will not disappoint! Ezra is a very complex character going through a lot. Overall it was fun, romantic and self-discovery of who you are. Robyn Schneider is another we definitely have to watch. I liked the ending at the same time it was clever. This is a book of coming of age and you must have this on your shelf!!